Originations

After five straight months where home sales plunged in Massachusetts compared to 2010, there are signs of a possible recovery in July 2011.

If you work with other people (and who doesn't?) reflect on the last week and notice how much time you wasted in drama: the energy-draining behaviors or exchanges that keep you from what you really want to be doing. Think about all the infighting, water-cooler talk, meaningless meetings, turf wars, pouting, rants, and other behaviors that blocked positive, productive interactions in your organization.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke criticized policymakers Friday for the political wrangling over raising the country's debt limit, and warned that more such events could do even greater harm to the economy.

Although residential origination volumes swooned in the second quarter, commercial mortgage production picked up nicely at many firms.

Warren Buffett's $5 billion public vote of confidence in Bank of America, happily for him, does not require actual confidence. The terms of the legendary investor's deal, which grants Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. $5 billion in perpetual preferred stock and warrants to buy B of A stock at just over $7 a share, include no lockup period.

Not only are residential loan applications booming, but nonbanks increasingly are tapping their warehouse providers for additional credit.

Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., is pressing the GSE regulator to adopt several changes to the Home Affordable Refinancing Program, allowing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to refinance more underwater borrowers.

Freddie Mac purchased $21.7 billion of mortgages from its seller/servicers in July, its worst acquisition month of the year and only about half of what it bought in January.

Brennan Investment Group LLC, a Chicago-based private real estate investment firm, has formed a joint venture with TriGate Capital LLC, Dallas, to purchase industrial properties across the nation.

For many years, mortgage originators have pitched to consumers that the ideal situation is for them to come see their loan officer to get prequalified before going home shopping.

A roughly 7 basis point increase in 30-year weekly rates and gains in bond yields from recent record lows could dampen refinancing applications a bit unless they motivate a significant group of fence-sitting borrowers to act.

Home prices rose just under 1% in June after a 0.4% increase in May, according to new figures compiled by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

PSM Holdings Inc., Roswell, N.M., has agreed to buy Iowa Mortgage Professionals Inc., a banker/broker based in Des Moines, Iowa.

American Realty Capital Properties Inc., New York, said it expects its initial public offering to close on Sept. 6, with trading of the company's common stock to start the following day on the NASDAQ Capital Market, that exchange's tier for small cap stocks.

Del Mar DataTrac Inc. fits very well into the customer acquisition strategy that Ellie Mae laid out to investors as its was preparing to do its recent initial public offering, an executive with the Pleasanton, Calif.-based mortgage technology provider explained.

So, were you one of the people who thought scrapbooking was just a fad and that it would go away after a short period of time? I did! But surprise, it’s more popular than ever!

Bank of America Corp.'s share price spiked 17% Thursday morning on news that Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway is investing $5 billion in the company.

In an ironic twist, the commercial banking industry is coming to the defense of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Sales of homes that were in some stage of foreclosure or bank-owned status accounted for 31% of all residential transactions in the second quarter, a slight decline from 1Q, according to new figures released by RealtyTrac.

If President Obama wants to create jobs in the building trades he should create a housing trust fund to finance the construction and renovation of rental units for extremely low-income households, according to non-profit housing groups.